Full Description
"This is the finest kind of travelthrough time, space and our infinite minds. The journey is the joy, and Emily Thomas a terrific guide." - Mike ParkerHow can we think more deeply about travel? This was the question that inspired Emily Thomas journey into the philosophy of travel. Part philosophical ramble, part travelogue, The Meaning of Travel begins in the Age of Discovery, when philosophers first started taking travel seriously. It meanders forward to consider Montaigne on otherness, John Locke on cannibals, and Henry Thoreau on wilderness.On our travels with Thomas, we discover the dark side of maps, how the philosophy of space fuelled mountain tourism, and why you should wash underwear in woodland cabins... We also confront profound issues, such as the ethics of 'doom tourism (travel to 'doomed' glaciers and coral reefs), and the effect of space travel on human significance in a leviathan universe.The first ever history of the places where history and philosophy meet, this book will reshape your understanding of travel.
Contents
Travelling well1: What is travel? Montaigne and otherness2: What are maps? Brian Harley on cartographic deception3: Francis Bacon on exploration and apocalyptic philosophy of science4: Innate ideas on Descartes, Locke, and Cannibals5: Why did tourism start? A grand tale of education and sex6: Travel writing, thought experiments, and Margaret Cavendish's 'Blazing World'7: Mountain travel and Henry More's philosophy of space8: Edmund Burke and sublime tourism9: Wilderness philosophy, Henry Thoreau, and cabin porn10: Is 'travel' a male concept?11: The ethics of doom tourism12: Will space travel show the Earth is insignificant?Returning home: top 10 vintage tripsNotesSelect BibliographyIndex
